Vijayakanth releases fresh list of DMDK candidates
Transcription
Vijayakanth releases fresh list of DMDK candidates
FRONTLINE PRINTERS PRIVATE LTD Q Complete Printing Facilities under One Roof M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032. 2250 0111, 4202 1111 3 Apollo comes out with wellness App 6 Mishra was the game-changer:Miller 7 Theri: Theatre owners blame Dhanu Chennai’s No 1 English evening daily since 1982 www.newstodaynet.com NATIONAL DAILY VOL. XXXIV NO. 130 8 Santhosh Narayanan is special: Karthik Subbaraj FOUNDER EDITOR: T.R.R H CHENNAI H SATURDAY 16.4.2016 (EVENING) H OTHER STATIONS SUNDAY 17.4.2016 (MORNING) H 8 PAGES Rs. 4.00 H Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82 ‘Over Rs 24 crore seized so far by flying squads’ Lakhoni launches election handbook Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni and Additional Director General of Press Information Bureau K Muthu Kumar releasing the Election Handbook 2016 at Shastri Bhavan in Chennai today. MALAVIKKA SRIDHARAN Chennai, Apr 16: The State’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajesh Lakhoni today said the EC was leaving no stone unturned as it gears up for the 16 May Assembly elections and pointed out that the about the evolution of elections from 1952 to 2011. This is the first time that such a book is released for public reference,’ said Additional Director General of PIB, K Muthu Kumar. Referring to a 2011 rule with regard to the elections, Lakhoni said if a EC begins new campaign The last date of registration for voters came to an end on Friday and so did the 100 per cent voting campaign of the State Election Commission. ‘So far 6,84,000 persons have registered online this time. Those who have failed to register will be entitled to do it only in the next election,’ said Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni. Interestingly, a 58-year-old first-time voter had called Lakhoni on the night of 15 April and sought instructions to register. ‘There was only few minutes left before the deadline closed and he managed to do it right away,’ Lakhoni added. The next campaign for the EC started on Tamil New Year day. This time, the theme seems to be ‘no vote for rupee note’. The campaign kicked off with the release of the first set of videos in this regard this week.The video shows an attempt to bribe a farmer. But he refuses to take it and even adds that he would not vote for the party that tries to buy them. ‘We think twice before giving even one rupee to a beggar if it is our hard earned money. This clearly indicates that your money is black and we would not sell ourselves,’ he says, portraying a dutiful citizen. Commission’s flying squads had so far seized over Rs 24 crore, of which Rs 16.8 crore had been returned to the people concerned. ‘For people who submit the proper documents, money is returned within 24 hours. The inspection details are updated then and there to the EC through a mobile app and we are doing our best to reduce inconvenience to people carrying cash,’ he said after releasing Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Election Handbook 2016. ‘The book contains information party-owned channel broadcast an election campaign, it should come under the expenditure accounts as per the advertisement rate of the channel. Speaking about election preparations, he said that 12 IRS and 10 IAS officials would be reviewing the preparedness for expenditure monitoring in Tamilnadu. ‘They will be visiting Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchi and Coimbatore,’ he said. ‘They are expected to reach on 19th or 20th and will leave on 24 April,’ he added. q Final countdown begins for TN Assembly polls NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Exactly a month is left for the 16 May Assembly elections, and political parties are gearing up for a tough contest, with battle lines becoming more clear. Perhaps for the fi rst time in the history of Tamilnadu, a six-cornered contest is in place-- AIADMK, DMK, DMDK-led PWF alliance, BJP-led front, PMK and Naam Tamizhar of Seeman. This apart, actor Karthik, who heads Naadalum Makkal Katchi, is said to be stitching a ‘mega alliance’ of small parties. AIADMK, led by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, stood first this time too in naming candidates and starting campaign. By giving seven seats to allies (who too would contest in Two Leaves symbol), the ruling party has fielded its candidates in a record number of 227 constituencies. Jayalalithaa, who hit the campaign trial Saturday last in Chennai, has so far addressed mega rallies in different parts of Tamilnadu and is attracting huge crowds. Perhaps for the first time in the history of Tamilnadu, a sixcornered contest is in place — AIADMK, DMK, DMDK-led PWF alliance, BJP-led front, PMK and Naam Tamizhar The DMK, which finalised the seat sharing deal with Congress and other partners after much discussions, announced its candidates list a few days ago. Its manifesto, unveiled by party president M Karunanidhi Sunday last, promised a plethora of things, including implementation of prohibition, waiver of farm loans etc. While Karunanidhi will start campaigning from 23 April, his son and party treasurer M K Stalin has already commenced his tour. Accepting DMDK president Vijayakanth as their Chief Ministerial candidate, PWF members (MDMK, VCK, CPI(M) and CPI) and TMC have formed a mega alliance. Though seats have been identified, the complete candidates list is yet to be released. But leaders of the alliance have started campaign tours. PMK is perhaps the first party in Tamilnadu to start election campaign, as it announced Anbumani Ramadoss its Chief Ministerial candidate more than a year ago and started working towards achieving the ‘dream’. Recently, it released its manifesto and two sets of candidates list. The rest is expected to be out soon. BJP has tied up with IJK and few other parties, after its efforts to partner with DMDK and PMK failed. It is betting on the achievements of the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Naam Tamizhar leader Seeman has named candidates for all 234 constituencies and is carrying out a whirlwind tour of Tamilnadu. Vijayakanth releases fresh list of DMDK candidates q Vaiko to contest from Kovilpatti, hits campaign trail DMK changes candidates for two constituencies NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: The DMDK today announced the fifth list of candidates for the 16 May Assembly elections. With this, the DMDK has announced candidates for 94 of the 104 seats it would contest under the grand alliance that also included the fourparty combine People’s Welfare Front (PWF) and the G K Vasan led Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). The PWF consisted of MDMK, the left parties-CPI and CPI(M)--and the VCK. The DMDK was yet announce candidates for 10 seats, including for Rishivandhiyam, from from Vijayakanth was elected to the State Assembly in the 2011 polls as part of the AIADMK-led alliance. Though party sources said that Vijayakanth would seek re-election from the same constituency, an official announcement was yet to be made. It was also not clear whether his wife Premalatha and his brother-inlaw Sudeesh, who were instrumental q By 2018, Chennai's water needs will fully be met by desalination plants: Report water from 200 km away to the city, but still all these sources of water were dependant on the rains, which still were not dependable. Looking for a perennial source of water, the State government bet big on desalination. With no experience in desalination and not having much of an option, the government went ahead with the project in 2005 to build a desalination plant in Minjur, in outskirts of Chennai. Later, the government planned constructing a 100 MLD desalination plant in Nemmeli on the East Coast Road. Advanced Integrated Membrane Technology was chosen for the Nemmeli project. Not only was it five per cent cheaper in terms of capital costs, but it also had relatively low running costs and uestioning the ‘business model’ of long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines for Vijay Mallya’s mounting woes, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the airline sector as such is doing well in India with many carriers making good profits. Mallya, the owner of Kingfisher Airlines and many other companies that owe over Rs 9,000 crore of dues to lenders, is currently in London, defying Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons. Jaitley’s remarks came on a day when the External Affairs Ministry suspended Mallya’s diplomatic passport for four weeks and threatened to revoke it if he fails to respond within a week on why his passport should not be impounded. In Mumbai, veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar who has been admitted to the Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra for respiratory problems early today, is under observation with doctors attending on him stating that the next 72 hours are crucial. However, family sources maintained that there is nothing to worry. In cricket, getting his team composition right will be Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s primary aim as Rising Pune Supergiants meet an out-of-sorts Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match at Mohali tomorrow. While the IPL debutants Supergiants have a win and a loss to show for their efforts, Kings XI Punjab has been beaten comprehensively in both their matches as they are already at the bottom of the heap. 30 days to go... Sea to quench city’s thirst NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Despite monsoon in the State not being reliable and water scarcity reeling its ugly head in some areas, the city is expected to become drought proof by 2018, thanks to four desalination plants which would quench the needs of Chennai. By 2018, the combined capacity of the desalination plants would be 750 Million Litres Daily (MLD), just 50 MLD lesser than the requirement of the city (800 MLD). According to report in Business Today, when Chennai was under acute water shortage (2003-04) and all its reservoirs had dried up, the then Jayalalithaa government was looking at ways to make the city drought proof. During that time, the Veeranam project was envisaged to transport Turning it on consumed 20 per cent less power than rival technologies. The Nemmeli facility took up just 20 acres of land compared to Minjur’s 60 acres and cost Rs 533 crore to build. Today, water from Nemmeli costs just two paise per litre. As a follow-up to Nemmeli’s success, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced recently that two more large desalination plants of 150 and 400 MLD capacity would be constructed based on the Nemmeli model. These are expected to be up and running by 2018 almost fulfilling with the city’s water requirement. According to experts, coastal cities must use the sea. They say water scarcity is a global problem and the model used in Chennai could be used across India in coastal regions to solve water crisis. READY FOR THE RACE MDMK leader and PWF convenor Vaiko campaigning at Anna Nagar in Chennai today. Photo: M SRINIVASAN in forming the grand alliance, would Releasing the list of candidates for contest the polls. 29 seats allotted to, Vaiko said he has nominated senior leader Mallai SathVaiko from Kovilpatti ya from Thiruporur, besides nominatAfter a gap of two decades, MDMK ing M Bhoominathan from Madurai general secretary Vaiko will test his South. Bhoominathan was arrested electoral fortunes in the 16 May Asalong with Vaiko under POTA. The sembly elections by contesting from list contained three women. Kovilapatti constituency. NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: DMK today changed candidates for two constituencies (Arakkonam and Orathanadu). N Rajkumar will replace S Bhavani for Arakkonam (Reserved) constituency and Ramachandran replaces SS Rajkumar for Orathanadu. According to sources, the decision was taken after Rajkumar refused to contest. However, candidates of few other constituencies against whom the partymen were protesting has not been changed. Yesterday, hundreds of cadres gathered at party chief M Karunanidhi’s residence at Gopalapuram here and staged a protest. Party workers from Palayamkottai reached the Gopalapuram residence of Karunanidhi to show their ire against the party’s decision to field TPM Mohideen Khan as its candidate from the Assembly constituency. DMK workers belonging to Anaikattu Union in Vellore gheraoed party’s candidate for Anaikattu constituency Nandakumar when he arrived at the party office on Thursday. Met office recalls heat wave warning q Some respite for Chennaiittes q Predicts dry weather will continue M BALASUBRAMANI Chennai, Apr 16: There is some relief for people of the State as the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here recalled its heat wave warning today. Talking to News Today, Met officials said the sky will be partly cloudy with the maximum temperature in the city reaching up to 37 degrees Celsius and the minimum staying at 29 degrees C. ‘There will be no heat wave warning as there won’t be much rise in the temperature throughout the State. However, dry weather will prevail and there are no chances of summer showers,’ the official said. The weather today was not as hot as yesterday as the maximum temperature recorded today till 12.30 pm was 34.9 degrees C, compared to 35.5 degrees C in the same time on Friday. As the temperature hovered above normal ahead of ‘Kathri’ month, Chennai and its neighbourhood were THE DIP OF GOOD HOPE The heat is on in Chennai as the temperatures have soared past the 37 degrees Celsius mark forcing residents to look at ways to keep cool. A scene at the Marina where youngsters took to the water. Photo: R THIYAGARAJAN issued heat wave warning for the past and urged the public not to venture few days. Armed with the heat wave out between noon and 3 pm. forecast of yesterday, the city administra‘The public are hereby requested tion advised the public to take precautionnot to go out between 12 noon and 3 ary measures and stay indoors. pm unless it is necessary. People are requested to drink large quantities of Chennai Collector K Govindaraj water,’ he said in an official release. referred to an IMD report yesterday which said the temperature was set To avoid dehydration, they should to rise around 41 degree C over the drink fruit juices or buttermilk, he next few days from 37 degrees C, advised. 2 SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 CHENNAI CONSTITUTENCY ROUND-UP AMBATTUR A DMK ON DAMAGE CONTROL MODE R RANGARAJ Chennai, Apr 16: The DMK has been rocked by dissidence and protests in several parts of Tamilnadu, largely led by angry ticket aspirants and sidelined seniors in some cases. While there were disagreements in the past, the party high command is shocked by widespread protests on the roads, in front of party offices, and in public glare, captured by the 24-hour news channels. Though the leadership is putting on a brave face, protests are spreading to other areas. The protests are directed against former ministers in some areas, while in a few places, former ministers denied party tickets are said to be behind the demonstrations. The question is who will blink first -- the leadership or the protestors. The party image has been sullied by the protests and demonstrations. The DMK leadership is in a Catch 22 situation -- if it responds with a healing touch, it could lead to more defiance and dissidence. A day after the DMK released its list of candidates for the Assembly elections, protests broke out in several parts of the State, demanding removal of some candidates. The protests were violent in Anaicut constituency in Vellore district, and marked in three constituencies in Tiruchi and one constituency in Pudukottai district over the choice of candidates. The protests prompted DMK president M Karunanidhi to issue a statement appealing to the cadres to sink their differences and work for the party’s victory. Howver, protests continue unabated. DMK workers opposed the party tickets for Alangudi, Vridhachalam and Jolarpet constituencies. Protests spread to Sirkazhi constituency in Nagapattinam district as DMK workers were angry over ticket given to Killai Ravindran. They said Ravindran hailed from Killai in Cuddalore district and had no connection with the constituency. DMK workers have The protests are directed against former ministers in some areas, while in a few places, former ministers denied party tickets are said to be behind the demonstrations TRADITIONAL TOUCH A police bike rally in Thoothukudi about election awareness was flagged off by central observer for Tamilnadu elections Ashish Goyal. District collector M Ravi Kumar and district superintendent Ashwin Kotnis were also present. To encourage people vote in the upcoming Assembly elections, traditional dance method of ‘Kummi’ was used at Pachaimalai in Trichy. been resorting to road roko for the last two days in Sirkazhi, demanding that the candidate be changed. Widespread protests have been held against ticket given to Kavitha Dhandapani for Jolarpet constituency. Party workers in Vellore and Jolarpet staged demonstrations against Kavitha and also raised slogans condemning DMK strongman Duraimurugan for fielding Kavitha in the Jolarpet constituency, though she hailed from Tirupattur and had no connection with Jolarpet. In Vaniyambadi, DMK cadres tried to set themselves on fire. Police prevented any mishap and took them into custody. In AIADMK, too, there has been the odd incident of dissidence but few in number. AIADMK ward councilor M Usha Nandini resigned from the councilor post and primary membership of the party as she was upset that no woman candidate was fielded in Vellore constituency. She will contest as an independent in Vellore. Tiruvannamalai town secretary P Kanakaraj was axed from the AIADMK on 13 April but hundreds of party workers in Tiruvannamalai came out in his support and marched to AIADMK headquarters in Chennai, and protested against ticket given to district secretary Perumal K Rajan for Tiruvannamalai constituency. The high command of both the AIADMK and DMK do not want to be seen as bowing to protests and the pressure tactics of the disgruntled elements. The situation is fraught with dangerous consequences for the DMK high Command as any attempt to bow to the pressure and the protests will send wrong signals to the cadre and could bommerang on the party. The protests could spread to more areas if they achieved even partial success. On the other hand, inaction could lead to more dissidence in the affected constituencies and could affect the party image and morale. The DMK leadership, while seeking damage control, doesn’t want to open the floodgates of dissidence. mbattur is a newly formed Assembly constituency after delimitation. The locality’s proximity to the city and its inclusion to the Greater Chennai Corporation has made it a sought after location by companies to set up factories. Ambattur, which comes Sriperumbudur Lok S a b h a constituand in 19 ency, was made a township during 1960s 1975 it nic was developed into a selection-grade municipaliy. In 1992, it was raised to special-grade ty. m u A nicipality which included Padi, Korattur, Anna ssion, Nagar Western Exten- Mogap Mogappair, Ayappakkam TNHB an and the Ambattur Industrial Estate areas. ernment submitted a me In 2011, the Tamilnadu govmemorandum to the Central government seeking to expand the city limits by which the Ambattur Municipality would come under the Metropolitan city. Since 2011, it has been a part of Chennai Corporation as Zone 7 with 15 wards. In political terms, the constituency went on polls for the first time in the year 2011, when S Vedhachalam of AIADMK took on B Ranganathan of DMK. In the tough battle, Vedhachalam bagged 99,330 votes to defeat Ranganathan who garnered 76,613 votes. The winning margin was 22,717. The voter turnout was 70.59 per cent. POPULATION (2011) Male Female Total : : : 234,923 231,282 466,205 ELECTORS (2011) Male Female Total : : : 136,076 128,884 264,990 CURRENT MLA NName DOB Gender Occupation Residence : : : : : S Vedhachalam 18-6-1953 Male Business Korattur, Chennai TN PEOPLE WANT CHANGE: JAVADEKAR Coimbatore, Apr 16: Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has claimed that the people of Tamilnadu were waiting for change and a corruption free government and BJP was getting good support for the 16 May Assembly elections. ‘People of Tamilnadu want a change and corruption free government. Both Dravidian parties have not been able to provide good governance to the people in the last 50 years,’ Javadekar told reporters at the city airport here. ‘Considering this, BJP was getting good response and very good support, as people repose faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government,’ he said, adding Tamilnadu deserves ‘much better governance’. Modi will be coming to Tamilnadu for campaigning and the date would be decided soon, Javadekar said. On the vexed Tamil fishermen issue, Javadekar, who is also in-charge of Tamilnadu for polls, said NDA government ‘is pro-active in protecting fishermen and also the interests of Sri Lankan Tamils.’ ‘Modi will be coming to Tamilnadu for campaigning and the date will be decided soon’ Modi had visited Jaffna in Sri Lanka and taken initiative to solve the issues faced by the Tamils there. ‘The Prime Minister ensured the release of Tamil fishermen who were to be hanged. Several Tamils, who were given capital punishment, when UPA was in power (at the Centre), were also freed,’ he said. Javadekar reiterated his allegations against AIADMK government that Tamilnadu was the only State that had not accepted the UDAY power scheme, by which 20 States, includ- IT’S MEME ing the non-BJP ruled States, benefitted. ‘The people of Tamilnadu are not getting the benefit,’ he said. Javadekar was here to address a few election meetings in the city and will visit Erode tomorrow and Chennai on Sunday. Q UICK bytes Of 29 seats allotted to MDMK, one each will be given to Tamizhar M u n n e tra Padai and Tamil Puligal Katchi. VAIKO, PWF Co-Ordinator We will begin our poll campaign on 20 April from Thanjavur and release the manifesto on 21 April — GK VASAN, TMC leader The DMK has mentioned around 60 per cent of our schemes drafted by PMK without even changing page numbers in its manifesto — Dr S RAMADOSS PMK leader Around Town CHENNAI Chennaiyil Thirugnanasambandar NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: A special programme on Chennaiyil Thirugnanasambandar will be organised by Chennai 2000 Plus Trust, in association with Sri Krishna Sweets, at Marundheeswarar Temple, Thiruvanmiyur, on 19 April. S p e c i a l songs comVarshaji posed by Thirugnanasambandar at the Marundheeswarar temple will be sung by Varshaji as a Pradosham special tomorrow at 6.30 pm. The session will be devoted to Thirugnanasambandar songs. Varshaji will speak about the visits undertaken by Tamil savant Thirugnanasambandar in various parts of Chennai where he composed and rendered songs. These songs have a special place in the history of Tamil literature and music The Chennai 2000 Plus Trust organises programmes to highlight the antiquity of Chennai and to throw light on the various cultural, literary and archaeological treasures relating to ancient Chennai in particular, said its president R Rangaraj. 3 Able and WILLING q Chennaiite specialises in training differently-abled sportspersons NAOMI N Chennai, Apr 16: It’s amazing the lengths that M S (John) Nagarajan goes to understand the problems of the differently-abled. He blindfolded himself for six months on alternate days to understand the everyday problems of the visually-challenged. He has dedicated his whole life to teaching, training and resource development in adapted physical education, which is training differently-abled persons in various sports. ‘Sports has therapeutic value, which you cannot achieve through medicines. Unlike a normal person, the differently-abled have accumulated energy and show willingness to involve in sports: it’s just that they lack opportunities,’ explains the senior manager of Special Olympics, Asia-Pacific, sitting at his offi ce at the aquatic complex of the Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu, Velacheri Main Road. ‘They want to travel, sing, dance and show their ability,’ stresses the trainer. WHAT’s SPECIAL Before venturing into teaching, Nagarajan took up various challenges as part of his course at YMCA - like blind-folding himself for six months before teaching the blind how to overcome day-to-day challenges. ‘I would carry out the day-to-day activities blindfolded from 6 am to 6 pm every alternate day. While being monitored, the final examination was to leave the YMCA campus, reach Central Station, make an enquiry at the counter, take a train to Park, reach Saidapet, and get back to the campus only with the help of the public. Being in Apollo Hospitals chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy with JIYO managing director Dr Deepak Chopra and Telugu actor Ram Charan during the launch of Apollo JIYO app. ness of being. This is key to personal transformation and wellbeing,’ said JIYO managing director Dr Deepak Chopra. For corporate houses, the app will help them reduce HR medical insurance spends, absenteeism and increase productivity. Companies will also get a group profile at the begin- MEDAL TALLY At the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015, held from 25 July to 2 August, 224 athletes from India won 178 medals of which 18 were from Tamilnadu. They returned home with 16 medals, informs Nagarajan. That is the happy news. The sad part is that many State governments fail to recognise the achievements of these differently-abled sportspersons with award money. The Special Olympics World Games are an international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, to showcase their skills and accomplishments. The next Special Olympics is scheduled for March 2017. Apollo comes out with wellness app NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Apollo Hospitals has launched a wellness app for corporate professionals. Known as ‘Apollo-JIYO’, the app will track sleep patterns, stress reduction and will provide exercise tips. Apollo Hospitals chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy said, ‘We are committed to provide timely access to health and enable people to make informed on healthcare choices. We are happy to have partnered with Dr Deepak Chopra, leading wellness guru for this initiative. Through this partnership, we will be able to bring global experts, products and services faster and directly to the smart phones and the desktops of the user’. ‘With ‘Apollo-JIYO’ we will create an eco-system, which will help people to easily participate in both the prevention and treatment of chronic illness. The goal of this initiative is to help employees experience a joyful energetic body, loving compassionate heart, restful alert mind and light- SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 ning of the programme to check the Health Score Card of their workforce. With experts like the renowned Yoga guru Eddie Stern and noted nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, the platform will bring together the intellects from around the world through contents, programmes and products for corporate India. M S Nagarajan their shoes helped me train them in sports.’ The differently-abled he has trained now play kabaddi, volleyball, tennis and kho-kho. In fact, they fare well in international sports events. On his office table lies a laminated world map as Nagarajan, popularly known as John, globetrots through the year with several international sports events being lined up. Nagarajan, with 30 years of experience, has a full-size photo of a Delhibased child hugging a basketball on the wall in his office. The bespecta- cled child, who gives a wide smile, has Down syndrome and low vision, but he is now a player. Going back to his earlier years, Nagarajan says that it was a documentary which was aired on Doordarshan in the ‘70s that drew him to the cause of encouraging the differently-abled in the field of sports. ‘The documentary showed a rock on the roadside which many people ignored but not a visually impaired person who walked with the help of a stick. He taps on the rock with his stick, folds the stick and keeps it on the ground. He then pushes the rock away. The documentary ended with Rotary Award for India Pistons chairman NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Rotary Club of Madras East’s prestigious ‘Corporate Citizen Award’ for 2016 was presented to India Pistons chairman and managing director N Venkataramani at a function held here recently. A press note said the award was given away by Brakes India Ltd chairman and managing director R Ramanujam in the presence of the club president Jayanthi Govindan. In her address, Jayanthi Govindan said, ‘Over the past few years, the Rotary Club of Madras East, has been conferring this award on companies by studying their track record and evaluating their CSR activities.’ In his speech, Venkataramani said, ‘India Pistons has been built on a firm foundation of enduring values, instilled in each one of us by founder S. Anantharamakrishnan. Our commitment doesn’t stop with producing better products, but extends beyond to offer more to the community in which we do business with.’ Union Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya presenting the golden trophy to CMRL managing director Pankaj Kumar Bansal and L&T team in New Delhi. Golden trophy for Chennai Metro NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) and its contractor Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has been awarded the prestigious first level award ‘Sarvashreshtha Suraksha Puraskar Award’ (Golden trophy) in the construction sector by the National Safety Council of India (NSCI) for the year 2015. The award was announced during the golden jubilee celebrations of NSCI held in New Delhi on 6 April. Tasmac shops to be closed 19 Apr Matching with the right person NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: In view of Mahaveer Jayanthi on 19 April , all Tasmac shops will remain closed in the city, according to a press release from the District Collector G Govindaraj. As per the Rule 12 of the Tamilnadu Liquor Retail Vending (in shops and bars) Rules 2003 and Rule 25 II (a) of the Tamilnadu Liquor (Licence and Permit) Rules 1981, all Tasmac IMFL retail vending shops and attached bars and those bars attached to hotels shall remain closed. q Datri’s stem cell donation reaches to 150 patients NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Datri, India’s largest blood stem cell donors’ registry, has successfully completed facilitating over 150 unrelated blood stem cell donations, on road to transforming lives of patients suffering from blood cancers and other fatal blood disorders. The 150th donor, Premangshu Choudhury, aged 37 and based out of Delhi, was called as a potential match for a patient suffering from Multiple Myeloma, a deadly blood disease, a release said. Choudhury, who is a journalist, had registered with Datri earlier hoping to be a match for his friend’s four year old son, but unfortunately wasn’t a match for the child. However, when he received a call recently from Datri for being found as a potential match for a patient in need of a blood stem cell transplant, he didn’t hesitate to the question, ‘Who is really blind?’ This changed my perspective,’ he narrates. Nagarajan says that he gave up his job as physical director at a government higher secondary school in Tamilnadu after 21 days as he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the students and his colleagues. Instead, he chose to take up a short-term project at YMCA which did not have job security, retirement benefits or an impressive salary. But looking back, Nagarajan is a happy man who has come a long way creating an impact on a community. say yes. Confirmatory tests established that Choudhury was the best match and he went ahead with donating his blood stem cells. For many blood cancer patients suffering from various forms of Leukaemia (ALL, AML, CML), Sickle Cell Anaemia, Lymphoma, Thalassemia, a blood stem cell transplant is their only chance of survival. The transplant can replace the diseased blood stem cells with healthy ones from the donor and hopefully cure the ailment. ‘Launched in 2009, we facilitated our first blood stem cell donation in April 2011 and have come a long way to achieve this milestone of 150 donations as of March 2016. Being a blood stem cell donor is a step towards creating a healthier world,’ said Datri Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry co-founder and CEO Raghu Rajagopal. Union Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya presented the golden shield and certificate to CMRL managing director Pankaj Kumar Bansal and L&T team. The award recognises and encourages excellence in occupational health and safety management systems in project construction activities. The award is based on the safety performance and OHS management systems followed at site by the establishments during the assessment period of one year, a release said. Cancellation of tains NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: The following suburban Electric Multiple Units have been cancelled on Saturday and Sunday owing to line block to facilitate engineering works between Villivakkam and Ambattur stations on Chennai-Arakkonam section. The Moore Market Complex - Avadi EMU leaving MMC (train no 43027) at 10 pm and the Avadi - MMC EMU (train no 43615) leaving at 11.15 pm on Saturday. The Avadi - MMC EMU (train no 43002) leaving at 4 am and Avadi - Chennai Beach EMU (train no 43602) leaving at 4.20 am have been cancelled on Sunday, a southern railway press release said. ‘Court ruling should be taken in a positive way’ q HC tells govt it may appoint panel to manage Anna Centenary Library q Writers want facility to be maintained for book-lovers’ sake M P SARAVANAN Chennai Apr 16: Hailing the Madras High Court ruling regarding maintenance of Anna Centenary Library located at Kotturpuram, book-lovers and writers say that the government should take the orders positively and look to rectify the deficiencies. The Madras High Court on Friday came down hard on the Tamilnadu government for being unable to rectify alleged deficiencies in implementation of suggestions made by a twomember advocates commission for upkeep of Anna Centenary Library and orally observed that it may be constrained to appoint a committee to take over and manage it. The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, made the observation after going through the additional report filed by the Commission on the factual position of implementation of its suggestions for upkeep of the facility. The court observed it cannot S Tamilselvan be expected to every now and then supervise, despite giving repeated orders on the matter. The bench asked Additional Advocate General P H Arvind Pandian to specify the date by which nothing would be left to be done further and said it would send the Commission to see if all aspects had been attended to in every manner. The AAG, on instructions, said 30 June may be taken as the cutoff date for everything to be completed. Speaking on the issue, Tamilnadu Progressive Writers Association pres- ident and writer S Tamilselvan says, ‘We welcome the Madras High Court ruling, regarding library authorities in- ability to provide the basic amenities to Anna Centenary Library.’ Explaining, he says, ‘the library at Kotturpuram is one of the best in South India. The seven-floor structure houses some of the best books available in the country. But since it was constructed by the previous government, the present regime didn’t take it positively. When library authorities tried to transfer the library and its contents to DPI centre, we even organised a large-scale protest. After which, the authorities concerned dropped the plans. Since then they didn’t take care to maintain it. This has severely hurt book-lovers and readers for the past five years’. ‘The Rs 172 crore library with world class features got completely paralysed because of poor maintenance, including library authorities not buying books. They shut down the air-conditioning system. Four elevators in wing A and wing B were not working. When readers took it up with the officials, they did not show any intention to repair the same,’ he said. Noted writer Manushyaputran says, ‘It is very sad that libraries which are knowledge powerhouse are not given importance. Authorities must not see the politics behind it. When we make the issue big, the ultimate loser will be the readers. When High Court issued notices to the State government regarding the problem, the officials should have take immediate action to solve the issue. But they didn’t budge. For the past five years when the government implemented various orders including helmet rule, why can’t they follow simple orders of the court? The current ruling must be taken seriously and government should respond in a positive manner,’ he says. Blend 4 SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 WHAT NEWS TODAY PRINTS IS NEWS THAT COUNTS Odd and uneven A problem with the ads that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal take out is that they invariably exaggerate and, very often, spread plain falsehood. To give but one example, the Delhi CM has been tom-tomming that under him a saving of Rs. 121 crore was effected in the construction of a road project. The truth, however, is that instead of saving, actually Rs. 20 crore more was spent over and above the earlier sanctioned amount. The truth about an additional expenditure of Rs. 20 crore over the sanctioned amount was revealed by the Kejriwal Government itself in response to a query under RTI filed by a former Congress MLA. Yet, this has not prevented the Delhi CM to claim a saving of Rs. 121 crore. Such false and misleading propaganda, then, defines Kerjriwal and his government. But nowhere is the falsehood starker than in the claim that the implementation of the odd-even rule for privatelyowned four wheeled vehicles has led to a perceptible fall in pollution in the capital city of India. Here again, the driving force behind Kejriwal enforcing the odd-even driving rule for private vehicles a second time for a fortnight within three months is his quest for personal glory. He and his loudmouths do not tire of citing as a great testimonial a mention in an American paper about the odd-even scheme. For days on end, Delhiites have had their ears filled with incessant propaganda about the scheme. And, yet no scientific study proved that it led to reduced pollution levels earlier. It has been again imposed arbitrarily on Delhi, beginning 15 to 30 April. Reducing traffic cannot be the sole objective of the scheme while reducing pollution requires a holistic approach. Road dust, public transport, trucks, illegal industries in residential colonies, adulterated vehicular fuels, burning of farm waste, building construction, etc., are some of the major culprits. Private cars at the most account for some eleven percent of the total pollution in the city, while on a given day half of them are still allowed to run. It means there would only be a reduction of mere six percent in the number of vehicles on the road. Besides, Delhi also gets polluted by what goes on in the neighbouring Haryana and UP. Unfortunately, the real reason behind Kejriwal’s love for odd-even is not fighting pollution but to bestow favours on his core constituency of auto and taxi drivers. Besides, the scheme gives an excuse to pay some 5,000 AAP workers/ supporters about Rs. 500 per day from the coffers of the Delhi Government. These volunteers are supposed to help the traffic police enforce the odd-even formula. Chetan Bhagat @chetan_bhagat Why is it when you tweet about religion, twitter goes mental but if you talk about economy or jobs nobody cares? Goal is dream with a deadline.. -Napoleons hill . In filmmaking this is the golden rule. P C Sreeram @pcsreeram Twitter hires new exec to woo China advertisers SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter introduced a new head of operations today for what it calls Greater China despite still being banned in the mainland, as it attempts to boost already booming ad- vertising. While San Franciscobased Twitter is not allowed to operate in mainland China under the country’s strict Internet censorship, it does have an office in Hong Kong that courts advertisers over the border. Twitter chief Jack Dorsey fired off a tweet from his @jack account welcoming former Microsoft and Cisco general manager Kathy Chen as managing director of Twitter’s Greater China operations. ‘I’m really excited to find more ways to create value for our advertisers, enterprises, creators, influencers and our developers, and partners as well,’ Chen said in a video snippet posted in a tweet from @TwitterGCN. Twitter shared a link to a story in Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post that reported the company has seen advertising triple in Greater China since it opened an office in Hong Kong in March last year. Twitter has been banned in mainland China since 2009, but the service is a way for businesses there to get advertising messages to potential customers in other parts of the world. We’ve seen success with Greater China export advertisers and publishers using Twitter to reach global audiences, Twitter chief operating officer Adam Bain said in a tweet welcoming Chen to her new job. Twitter last week added a PepsiCo executive and a British entrepreneur to its board as Dorsey continues an effort to shake up the stagnating oneto-many messaging service. Twitter marked its 10th birthday last month, having become a powerful communication tool but still struggling to win users and reach profitability. Since making a star-quality entrance a decade ago, Twitter has become a must-have tool for journalists, activists and celebrities but has struggled to show it can expand beyond its devoted twitterati to become a mainstream hit. Twitter’s woes include a slump in its stock price to all-time lows this year -- down nearly half from its 2013 stock market debut -- and ongoing losses, even as its revenue grows. Twitter’s base of monthly active users remained stuck at 320 million at the end of 2015. While that is a big accomplishment, Twitter has failed to keep pace with fast-growing rivals and to expand beyond its base. Dorsey said Twitter priorities for this year include making it more intuitive to use; live-streaming video, and making it safer for people to freely express themselves on the platform. L CHENNAI Terminal Truths ooking back on the incident in which a CISF personnel picked me out from a long queue for extra security search at the Chennai airport last week, I should confess that the mistake was entirely mine: I did not speak or understand Hindi. This may be Tamil Nadu. And I am a complete Tamilian. Still, it was extremely unreasonable on my part, especially as this involved the extremely sensitive and serious subject of security, to be not able to converse in Hindi. Let me explain: It was a morning flight and I was travelling on a deathrelated emergency in the family. Since it was a last-minute eventuality, I had to literally rush to the airport so that I can check in, as per laid-down procedures, an hour ahead of the scheduled take-off, which is usually two hours before the actual take-off. And then there was this fear of the glass roof at Chennai airport that has the tendency to come crashing down when someone so much as sneezed or when there is a blast at the airport in Brussels. Also, at that hour of my check-in the temperature was already hovering around 30 degree Celsius. So it was no surprise that I was sweating profusely and look- ‘Iraq crisis threat to fight against IS’ BAGHDAD: The United Nations warned that political turmoil that has repeatedly delayed efforts to change the Iraqi cabinet is a threat to the country’s war against the Islamic State group. Iraq is battling to retake more ground from IS, which seized large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, and Washington has also expressed concern that political disputes could distract from efforts to combat the jihadists. Instead of voting on a new cabinet lineup, lawmakers tried to sack the parliament speaker and his deputies yesterday, while the two previous sessions ended in a sit-in and a fistfight among MPs. The only party that benefits from the political divisions and chaos as well as the weakening of the state and its institutions is Daesh. We should not allow this to happen, Gyorgy Busztin, the acting head of the UN Iraq mission, said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS. The political leaders of Iraq should place the high national interest over any other consideration and work relentlessly to ensure the political process produces solutions that would lead Iraq out of its crisis and strengthen the state and its institutions. Only through unity can Iraq win,’ Busztin said. Abadi has called for the cabinet of party-affiliated ministers to be replaced by a government of technocrats, but has faced significant resistance from the powerful parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds. VOICE MAIL Can Trump make it big? Sir In some good news to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ahead of the crucial primaries here, the two US Presidential front-runners who suffered a string of losses recently were declared the winners of the close Missouri primaries, nearly a month after the polls were held. The votes in both parties were too close to call. In the Republican primary polls, Trump and rival Texas Senator Ted Cruz were neckand-neck, as were Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic contest. On the Democratic side, the 68-year-old former secretary of state also led Sanders also by 0.2 percentage points 49.6 per cent to his 49.4. She won the election by about 1,500 votes of the 630,000 cast in the Democratic primary. Each candidate will receive 34 delegates, but with superdelegates included, Hillary Clinton will have 46. MICHAEL (By email) ADDRESS YOUR LETTERS TO : The Editor, News Today, 85, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032. or e-mail to : [email protected] / [email protected] ing, in my dishevelled clothes, every passed muster, but I don’t know how), bit the hero that director Bala might they let me join the queue again, sign up for his next film. It was then a whereupon I was welcomed by a felsecurity personnel, toting what looked low traveller with the most sensitive like an automatic gun, walked up to and reasonable words: ‘You should me and pumped in verbal bullets in have at least tried to speak in Hindi’. ‘Yeah, my bad! Next time when I rapid Hindi, to which I replied –-- in that silly perky voice and needless have to travel on an emergency, I bright smile that we use when dealing will first sit for the Prathmic exam and with security personnel –-’I speak no then try to take the flight’. This should have been my comeback, or worse, Hindi. Ask in Tamil or English’. I thought I was being sensible. But should have taken him out with the inflight katti roll, but as he looked as if I had ever I smiled weakly committed an act of and proceeded for sedition, as he put boarding. a firm hand on my Inside the plane, I shoulder and took me K BALAKUMAR was seated behind a aside from the queue for a thorough check. Here I must … shrieking infant irritatingly shriller add that I might have further brought than Laila in Pithamagan or 150-kg upon extreme suspicion on myself bulky behemoth who technically because I was travelling with my 80+ must be loaded in the cargo secyears-old mother. If I were planning tion? No, that would have been too to commit an act of terrorism it was pat, as if the entire airline industry entirely logical that I would take along itself was working for the success my barely-able-to-walk mom with me. of this humour column (especially To be singled out from among the when the industry can barely work hundreds there for such a scrutiny for itself). My seat was behind was certainly demeaning, but since what appeared to be a honeymoon the search of my belongings didn’t couple. Why I say they were a yield anything incriminatory (even my honeymoon couple is because they dubious underwear seemed to have were totally lost to the world, I mean so lost that they –- unmindful of the fact that the entire aircraft was bound to look at them with curiosity –- went ahead and ordered in-flight food service, which was primarily a moody samosa that seemed to have logged quite a few flier points. At Rs.150 a piece, it was as criminal as any act of terrorism. The couple was the only ones to order that on that short-haul flight, which is defined as that flight service in which you spend more hours waiting than actually travelling. The lady wouldn’t let go off the man’s hand at any point, except when he went for a short loo break, during which time she proceeded to take roughly 235 selfies. And upon his return from the toilet, she showed him how she looked like during his absence for those twothree minutes. All through, they didn’t talk much. But it was clear that they were having a great time. Just as well. This is the beauty of love. It is beyond all words and language. But still, for safety sake, it may be better to learn Hindi. e-mail the writer at [email protected] (Courtesy: Talk Media) New Japan quake kills 16, many injured Triggers massive landslide Waves of aftershocks reported MASHIKI (JAPAN): A more powerful quake hit southern Japan early today, killing at least 16 people, toppling large buildings and triggering a massive landslide just over a day after an earlier tremor which left nine dead. The quake on the southwestern island of Kyushu sparked a fresh wave of destruction and was followed by a wave of aftershocks in the region where nerves are already frayed following Thursday’s deadly earthquake. The powerful shaking set off a huge landslide that swept away homes and Separately, an active volcano in the area erupted today morning, a local government official said, cautioning, The powerful shaking set off a huge landslide that swept away homes and cut off a highway in one area and larger buildings were damaged cut off a highway in one area, and unlike the earlier quake which mostly affected old houses, larger buildings were damaged and some toppled across Kumamoto prefecture, the epicentre of the quakes. however, it was unclear if the smallscale event was linked to the quakes. Takayuki Matsushita, an official with Kumamoto prefecture, said seven were confirmed dead, citing police and fire departments. London Mayor hails ‘glorious’ Brexit as G20 issues warning LONDON: London Mayor Boris Johnson launched a scathing attack on Brussels, urging Britons to vote for a glorious alternative free from the whims of unelected bureaucrats, as official campaigning began ahead of a referendum on Britain’s EU membership. With G20 leading economies warning of the threat to global growth if Britain voted to leave, Johnson told a rally in Manchester, northwest England, Britain could thrive outside the bloc. Boris Johnson Activists from both camps hit the streets today, firing the starting gun ceron a tense battle over the nation’s tainty. future, the British people’s first G20 finance ministers meeting direct say on Europe in 41 years. in Washington listed Brexit among It’s time for us in this country to other factors that complicate the speak up for millions of people global economic environment, a around Europe, tens of millions, day after IMF chief Christine Lawho think like we do, who share g a r d e urged Britain and the our anxieties, who are fed up with EU to save their long the remoteness of KER marriage through diaA M Brussels, Johnson NEWS e day logue. of th told the crowd. In the Remain corner If we hold our nerve is Cameron, who says Britain and we’re not cowed and we has a special status within the vote for freedom and we vote for EU thanks to a renegotiation he democracy on June 23 then I be- sealed in February, and that the lieve this country will prosper and country will be richer and stronger thrive as never before, he said. if it stays in. Opinion polls suggest the British In Covent Garden in the heart of public is evenly split 10 weeks rain-soaked London, anti-Brexit ahead of the vote, which could volunteers were handing out leafbring down Prime Minister David lets to workers during their lunch Cameron and plunge one of the breaks. ‘Financially, it would be a world’s leading economies into un- disaster if we left the EU,’ Public broadcaster NHK, meanwhile, put the death toll at nine and said there were at least 760 people injured, while a government spokesperson said scores were trapped or buried alive. Eleven people were stuck in a damaged apartment building in Minami-Aso near the landslide, another Kumamoto prefecture official said. ‘We don’t know their condition,’ he said, declining to be named. Meanwhile, a large fire that broke out at an apartment complex in Yatsushiro city killed one person, city official Kiichiro Terada confirmed. UN strongly condemns N Korea missile test UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea’s testfiring of a missile, saying that the launch violated UN resolutions even if it was a failure. The council yesterday demanded that North Korea refrain from further actions in violation of resolutions barring Pyongyang from developing ballistic missile technology. In a unanimous statement, the council said it would closely monitor the situation and was ready to take further significant measures against the reclusive State. ‘Although the DPRK’s ballistic missile launch was a failure, this attempt constituted a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions,’ the statement said. Last month, the council imposed its toughest sanctions to date on North Korea after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test and fired a rocket that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test. Since the adoption of the new sweeping sanctions, North Korea has carried out at least two sets of ballistic missile launches that the council has condemned. During yesterday’s attempt, the missile disappeared from tracking radar a few seconds after its launch and was believed to have exploded in midair, according to a Seoul intelligence official quoted by the Yonhap news agency. Asked about the failed launch, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said: ‘We certainly are aware of the recent reports of activity by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is alarming.’ Enterprise CHENNAI DCB Bank Q4 net climbs 10.5% NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Private lender DCB Bank on Friday reported a 10.5 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 70 crore for the fourth quarter ended 31 March. According to a press release, the total income of the company grew 19.86 per cent to Rs 509.56 crore, from Rs 425.12 crore a year ago. DCB Bank had posted a net profit of Rs 63 crore in the year-ago period. Overall provisions rose to Rs 27.25 crore, from the earlier Rs 14.32 crore. DCB Bank’s gross non-performing assets ratio improved to 1.51 per cent compared with 1.76 per cent last year. Its net NPA ratio stood at 0.75 per cent as against the earlier 1.01 per cent. Speaking about the performance MD and CEO Murali M Natrajan, said, ‘Given the current market conditions we are satisfied with our performance. We continue to expand distribution while investing in technology. We believe there are enough opportunities in retail and MSME/ SME banking. However, we need to be cautious and calibrated’. SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 G20 bats for transparency Seeks crackdown on tax havens, shell companies Washington, Apr 16 (PTI): Acting in the wake of the ‘Panama Papers’ scandal, the G20 economies, including India, on Friday sought a crackdown on tax heavens, shell companies and terror financing by increasing financial transparency and sharing of key information in a timely manner. A communique in this regard was issued by G20 countries after meeting of its Finance Ministers and Governors of Central Banks here on the sidelines of the annual Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan attended the meeting on behalf of India. For India a crackdown on tax heavens and shell companies is a top priority, particularly in the aftermath of the release of ‘Panama Papers’ that ‘Tough to counter Brexit challenge’ The G20 leading economies warned that the possibility that Britain would pull out of the European Union is a significant challenge to the world economy. Finance ministers of the elite group meeting in Washington said the global economy continues to face significant dangers from volatile financial markets, collapsed commodity prices and low inflation, as they pledged to work to shore up growth. ‘Geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, refugee flows, and the shock of a potential UK exit from the European Union also complicate the global economic environment’, they said in a statement. IMF chief Christine Lagarde had also called on Britain and the EU to save their ‘long marriage’ through dialogue. have thrown up 500 names of Indians having opened up shell companies overseas allegedly to evade taxes. ‘The G20 reiterates the high priority it attaches to financial transparency and effective implementation of the standards on transparency by all, in particular with regard to the benefi cial ownership of legal persons and legal arrangements’, the G20 communique said. Improving the transparency of the beneficial ownership of legal persons and legal arrangements is vital to protect the integrity of the international financial system and to prevent misuse of these entities and arrangements for corruption, tax evasion, terror Math of money crimes survey which was conducted by the organisations across 17 industry sectors in the country between July, 2015 and February, 2016. ‘Companies need to adapt their risk assessment and control frameworks fast enough to prevent such crimes. Many companies no longer want compliance to be just a ‘tick in the box’ exercise and are investing more and more in comprehensive compliance and monitoring programmes’, PwC India partner and leader, forensic services, Dinesh Anand said. ‘The true cost of economic crime to the country’s economy is difficult to estimate, especially considering that actual financial loss is often only a Say yes to plastic Finance Ministry working towards a less-cash society New Delhi, Apr 16: Finance Ministry is preparing a blueprint in consultations with other departments to make India a lesscash society by incentivising card transactions and doing away with charges on digital payments. The blueprint for less-cash society, according to an official, is likely to be ready in the next two months. EARLIER... The Union Cabinet in February had already approved withdrawal of surcharge, service charge and convenience fee on card and digital payments to promote use of plastic currency. ‘We are in discussion with the related departments for implementing the decision. It will take about two months’ time to give effect to it,’ a senior Finance Ministry official said. WHAT’S IN STORE The move primarily discourages transactions in cash by providing access to financial payment services to citizens to pay through cards and digital means and shifting payment ecosystem from cash dominated to non-cash or less cash payments. The Cabinet has also approved mandating payments beyond a pre- scribed threshold only through a card or digital mode. It also suggested withdrawal of surcharge, service charge and convenience fee on card and digital payments currently imposed by various government departments, organisations. AND THE BENEFITS ARE... ‘This will help in reducing tax avoidance and migration of all government payments and receipts to cashless mode,’ the officials say. NEXT IN LINE The other measures which were approved by the Cabinet include rationalisation of Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on card transactions and a differentiated MDR framework for some key segments. It also suggested rationalisation of telecom service charges for digital financial transactions and promotion of mobile banking. FRAUD CHECK To increase reliance on card transaction, the Finance Ministry is also working on a mechanism to create assurances for quick resolution of fraudulent transactions and reviewing the payments ecosystem in the country. small component of the fallout from a serious incident. The reputation cost of such crimes is often much higher’, he added. According to the survey, asset misappropriation was the most common type of economic crime in the country over the last 24 months, followed by procurement fraud and bribery and corruption. Around 56 per cent of the residents in the country perceived an increased risk of cybercrime over the past two ears as compared to 53 per cent globally. Again, 16 per cent of the organisations in the country against 14 per cent globally, experienced cybercrimes amounting to more than $1 India gets $250 mn for renewable energy Washington, Apr 16 (PTI): India was among the first four countries to get a loan from the newly established BRICS New Development Bank which gave a $250 million funding to Canara Bank for a renewable energy project. The China-based NDB has approved four green renewable energy projects from India, China, Brazil and South Africa entailing Bank financing of $811 million. The project from India entails provisioning of a multi-tranche loan of $250 million to Canara Bank for lending to renewable energy ventures. The project will result in generation of 500 MWs of renewable energy and savings of about 800,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. ‘New Development Bank sanctioned four loans including a loan of $250 million for a renewable energy scheme in India. Good beginning’, tweeted Shaktikanta Das, Secretary for Economic Affairs. This loan is the first such loan from the development financial institution, according to officials. The New Development Bank was formed by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)leadership with the objective of funding infrastructure projects in emerging economies and to meet the aspirations of hundreds of millions of people through sustainable development. Delhi is ‘future-ready’ City ranks 44th in global list New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI): The national capital has been recognised as one of the 50 futureready cities around the world that are embracing technology to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing and globalised future, according to a report by IT major Dell. Delhi is ranked 44th on the list which is topped by San Jose, followed by San Francisco. The ‘Future-Ready Economies Model’ scores large, high-growth global metropolitan areas based on attributes that enable people and organisations to access new tools and ideas that deliver better connectivity, better economic performance and a greater ability to attract talent. The cities positioned in the list were evaluated along three dimensions – human capital, infrastructure and commerce. ‘We are extremely proud to have The cities positioned in the list were evaluated along three dimensions–human capital, infrastructure and commerce Delhi feature on this list. The efforts put in by the Delhi and central government to make the city a better place has made this possible’, Ravinder P Singh, director (Solutions Strategy and Business Development, IoT, Smart Cities and Digitisation) Dell India said in a statement. He added that the Centre has launched some ambitious initiatives aimed at creation of a digitally enabled nation, one that allows for last mile connectivity and helps improve the quality of life. ‘Delhi’s ranking on this list is validation of India’s progress in the right direction. We look forward to partnering with the government and creating a future-ready India’, Singh said. financing and money laundering, the communique said. In the communique, the G20 Finance Ministers reiterated that it is essential that all countries and jurisdictions fully implement the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards on transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons and legal arrangements and expressed determination to lead by example in this regard. ‘We particularly stress the importance of countries and jurisdictions improving the availability of beneficial ownership information to and its in- ternational exchange between, competent authorities for the purposes of tackling tax evasion, terrorist financing and money laundering’, the communique said. ‘We ask the FATF and the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes to make initial proposals by our October meeting on ways to improve the implementation of the international standards on transparency, including on the availability of beneficial ownership information and its international exchange’, it said. Seeking a crackdown on terror financing, the G20 Finance Ministers called on all countries to join its efforts including through swift and effective implementation of FATF standards, the new Consolidated Strategy on Combating Terrorist Financing and provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution 2253. Railway stations now have wi-fi, courtesy Google Employees in 31-40 age group guilty in 61% cases: PwC NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Around 61 per cent of the economic crimes in the country are committed by employees within an organisation which fall under the age group of 31-40 years, according to a report by PwC. Besides, more than one in every four organisations is getting impacted by economic crimes, the report which was unveiled here today, said. As per the report, in 43 per cent of the cases, a middle level employee is the main perpetrator of the crime as against 35 per cent globally. Around 61 per cent of them are in the 3140 age-group, which is significantly higher than the global average of 42 per cent, the report said. The report is the outcome of a 5 million in the past two years, the report said. Only 45 per cent of the organisations have fully trained cybercrime first responders. Around 88 per cent of the responding organisations in the country have a formal business ethics and compliance programme, it said. Around 56 per cent of the responding organisations in the country witnessed an increase in their spend on compliance programmes and resources, while 94 per cent of them stated that their organisations had a clear code of conduct. However, 15 per cent of respondents indicated their leaders did not walk the talk, 24 per cent mentioned unclear communication and training, and 19 per cent feared retaliation for reporting a violation, the report said. NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Indian Railway’s arm Railtel which provides internet services as RailWire via its extensive fiber network along with Google on Friday announced the launch of free highspeed public wi-fi service at nine new railway stations. According to a press release, users in Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Ranchi, Raipur, Vijayawada, Kacheguda (Hyderabad), Ernakulum Jn (Kochi) and Vishakhapatnam will be able to access the network using their smartphones for free. With these launches, Google has now rolled out public wi-fi service across ten key railways stations, enabling access to over 1.5 million Indians everyday. The service will be formally inaugurated by Railway Job growth falls to 7-year low: Survey NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Employment generation in eight key sectors, including gems & jewellery, handloom, leather and automobiles, was at seven-year low of 1,35,000 jobs in 2015, a survey by Labour Bureau showed. Employment was increased by 4.21 lakh in 2014, 4.19 lakh in 2013, 3.21 lakh in 2012, 9.29 lakh in 2011, 8.7 lakh in 2010 and 12.8 lakh in 2009, as per the earlier surveys. Moreover, the October-December quarter of 2015 saw job losses of 20,000 in eight key sectors compared to previous quarter. The July-September period had seen job addition of 1.34 lakh over the level of April-June. Labour Bureau, a wing of Labour Ministry has been conducting quarterly employment surveys since January, 2009 to study the impact of global economic slowdown on employment in selected sectors -- textiles including apparels, leather, metals, automobiles, gems and jewellery, transport, IT/BPO and handloom/powerloom. ‘Comparison of the results for the period December, 2015 over December, 2014 shows that the employment at overall level has increased by 135,000,’ said 28th Quarterly Report on Changes in Employment in Selected Sectors by Labour Bureau. The survey found that gems and jewellery sector saw 19,000 job loss during 2015 followed by handloom/ Powerloom at 11,000. The employment decreased by 8,000 each in leather and automobiles sectors while 4,000 jobs loss was recorded in transport sector. In 2015, IT/BPOs sector led the race with 76,000 employment generation during the year. Other sectors contributing to the increase in employment during 2015 are textiles, including apparels (72,000) followed by metals (37,000). PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE This is to inform general public that my client T.S. Vasantha, Wife of P.S. Mani, Hindu, aged 62 years, residing at No.7/14, Vinopa Nagar 9 th Street, Tondiarpet, Chennai-600 081,has misplaced/lost the original Sale Deed Registered as Document No.787 of of SRO, Royapuram, Chennai, the vacant land bearing plot No.144, admeasuring 2550Sq.ft., comprised in survey No.3889/2 and 3890, Burma Garden, Vaidyanathan Mudali Street, Tondiarpet, Chennai-600081, within the SRO, Royapuram, Chennai and Registration District of North -Chennai. Any one who is in possession of the said Original Registered Sale Deed or having any claim shall contact under mention person within 7 days from the date of this Publication failing which it shall be deemed that no one is in possession Original Registered Sale Deed or having any claim. M/s.K. Bommuraj, A.Santhana Sinakarthan, Advocates No.264, New Addl. Law Chambers, High Court Campus,Chennai-104. M.Nos. 9444013656,9840645643 It is hereby informed to the Public that my clients Mr. Mohamed Saleem, and G.M.Mohamed Ali have entered into an sale agreement with M.Marimuthu, M.Sundarraj, M.Sankar Raj and Sangeetha for purchase of the property bearing Plot NO.1027, Old Door No.947, New Door NO.1266, Bakthavatchalam Colony, Vyasarpadi, Chennai 600 039 measuring an extent of 1.05.5 sq. meter and the same was registered as document No.4960 of Purasawalkam. It is further represented that the original sale deed bearing Document No.2332 of 1988 was ! "# on 11.8.1999 and not traceable and "# $ Therefore it is hereby informed that if anybody found or having the aforesaid document kindly produce the same undersigned address and raise claim if any within 15 days from the date of this publication. If no claim or objection is received by, it is informed that my clients will proceed further to complete the sale with the above said persons. V.CHANAKYA, No.129, Shanmugarayan Street, G.T.Chennai 600 001. Cell No. 9444429428 Minister Suresh Prabhu soon. ‘The network is now live in ten key stations across the country and we are scaling up our efforts to roll out the network quickly to cover some of smaller stations where connectivity is much more limited. With 100 stations live, this project will be the largest publicly accessible high speed wi-fi network in the country, but our real hope is that this project will set new benchmarks in delivering a reliable and consistent network connectivity in the country’, said Gulzar Azad, head of Access Project, Google India. Railtel CMD R K Bahuguna said, ‘While the service will be free for a reasonable amount of time, our longterm goal is to make this project selfsustainable to allow for expansion to more stations and places, with RailTel and other partners, in the future’. ‘Next IMF chief should be from emerging economy’ Washington, Apr 16 (PTI): India has told the IMF that the next managing director of the top global financial body should be from an emerging economy and not from Europe, which traditionally has been the case. Last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed Christine Lagarde of France for her second five-year term beginning 5 July. There was no other candidate in the race and India had supported her candidacy. ‘This time, there was no candidate from any other country. It was proposed by all European countries. India supported her candidature. But while doing so we have indicated, we have informed the Fund that in the next round the managing director (MD) position should go to an individual from an emerging economy’, said Union Finance Secretary Shaktikant Das. ‘Considering today’s global economic reality, it is time that it (IMF’s MD post) goes to a non-European, from an emerging economy. We have communicated our view (to the IMF). This round there was no other candidate as such’, Das said in response to a question on the election of the IMF Managing Director during a round table with Indian mediapersons. IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS (Testamentary and Intestate Jurisdiction) O.P.No.848 of 2015 In the matter of the Indian Succession Act XXXIX of 1925 And In the Matter of the Last Will and Testament of Mrs. Prema Pratap - deceased P. Maheshwaran, S/o. Dr. R. Chitraa, No.29/30, Rose Garden, 1st Floor, Flat No.4, Kungumam Nagar, II Street, Porur, Chennai - 600 116. ... Petitioner -VsB.Samanthakamani, W/o. Late R. Balaraman, No.404, 18th Street, Housing Board Colony, Korattur, Chennai - 600 080. ... Respondent All persons claiming to have any interest in the estate of the above named Mrs. Prema Pratap who was resided at Old No.6/4 New No.1/4, Tara Chand Annex, Virugambakkam, Chennai - 92 and died on 15.06.2014 are hereby cited to come and see the proceedings before the Learned master sitting in the original side of High Court of Judicature at Madras on 28.04.2016 at 10.30 a.m. and grant of letters of administration. Dated at Chennai on this the 7th day of April 2016 K.ARIVALAGAN Asst. Registrar, Original Side - I, High Court, Chennai - 104. M/s. D. Jayasingh, D.Prabhu Mukunth Arun Kumar & V.S.Manimekalai No.168, Law Chambers, High Court Buildings, Chennai - 104 6 SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 LOCAL SPORTS Sports quota selection trials at Hindustan varsity Sports Mishra was game-changer: Miller Zaheer sounds warning to rivals after first win NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: Hindustan University will conduct selection trials for sports admissions (engineering, arts and science) on 29 and 30 April at its Guindy campus. A press note said that the criteria for selection was that the student should have performed and achieved accolades at nationals, inter-university and State-levels in following games: Athletics, Basketball, Badminton, Boxing, Chess, Cricket, Football, Gymnastics, Horse Riding, Martial Arts, Sailing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis and Volleyball (men and women). Interested candidates are requested to report at 9.30 a.m. at the venue with original academic and sports certificates along with attested photo copies. For information, contact B Selvamuthu Krishnan (Director of Sports) at 8056296924 or K Deepak (assistant director of sports) at 9952035336. Email: [email protected]. but then they won the game. So yes, Maxwell’s over was a bit too late. He could have come early. I guess we need to chop it up.’ Both Miller and Maxwell were dismissed in the same over by Mishra and the skipper admitted it was a painful coincidence. ‘Mishra was bowling really well. But as trump batters, we needed to express ourself and play with freedom as well. There is a very fine line between batting with irresponsibility. I give credit to them. I guess we need to chat about that in the next couple of days,’ he said. ‘It (Maxwell’s shot) was not needed at that time to be honest. But then if Max would have hit a six then we would have been praising him. So may be at that stage Inzy wants time to decide on selector role Karachi, Apr 16 (PTI): Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has asked for more time for him to take a decision on the chief selector’s position offered to him by Pakistan Cricket Board. An official in the Board confirmed to PTI that PCB chairman Shahryar Khan had invited Inzamam to his residence and had a detailed meeting with him. CHENNAI Amit Mishra spun the game DD’s way with the key wickets of David Miller and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession. New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI): Kings XI Punjab skipper David Miller heaped praises on Amit Mishra stating that the leg-spinner was ‘unlucky’ not to end up with a five-for after having changed the course of the game with wickets of Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and himself. Mishra’s 4 for 11 in 3 overs was instrumental in Daredevils notching up a comfortable eight-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. ‘Mishra was unlucky not to get five wickets. He is a great bowler, he got myself, Maxwell and Marsh as well, so he has been a game-changer out there,’ Miller told reporters after their second loss. Not ready to blame the Feroz Shah Kotla wicket, Miller said: ‘It was a low-scoring game but I think we lost too many wickets in different stages which changed the momentum of the match. I think the wicket was right.’ Asked why didn’t he introduce Glenn Maxwell early in the innings, Miller said: ‘I didn’t want the bowlers to bowl too many overs at once. We didn’t have enough runs on board. I thought I will bring Maxwell later on ECB’s new helmet rules draw flak Test captain Cook faces ban if he fails to adopt of safety measures London, Apr 16: England batsmen Nick Compton has criticised the ECB’s new helmet regulations as Test captain Alastair Cook was reportedly warned he could be banned if he failed to adopt the new safety measures. The England and Wales Cricket Board announced a change in policy in regards to helmets last November, with all players in professional matches required to wear helmets that meet the updated British Safety Standard. The decision came around 12 months since Australian batsman Phillip Hughes was killed when he was struck in the neck by a delivery during a Sheffield Shield match, and six months after Englishman Craig Kieswetter retired due to the serious facial injuries he suffered when a ball went between his helmet and grille during an English county match. Compton was one of Hughes’s closest friends having been his flatmate in London during their time together at Middlesex, while they were also Mallya absent but business as usual for Force India Shanghai, Apr 16: India’s move to suspend embattled tycoon Vijay Mallya’s diplomatic passport made headlines in Mumbai and New Delhi on Friday but it was business as usual for his Force India Formula One team in China. Mallya has yet to attend a grand prix this year, absent from the seasonopener in Australia and Bahrain, and the team said the 60-year-old never had any intention of travelling to Shanghai for Sunday’s third round. ‘He does not usually attend this race,’ said a team spokesman after the day’s free practice sessions. Mallya’s immediate whereabouts were unclear and he was not available for comment. Deputy team principal Bob Fernley told Reuters this month that Mallya, who is a member of the Upper House of India’s Parliament, had no plans to travel to any races until the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on 13-15 May. teammates at Sydney grade club Western Suburbs. Compton flew from the UK to Australia for Hughes’s funeral in December 2014. But 32-year-old right-hander says the new measures have gone too far. ‘For me there are so many rules and regulations now,’ Compton was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. You look at the Phil Hughes incident. It was well publicised that he was one of my best friends and I’m always thinking of him, but what happened was a freak accident. ‘Those helmets have been used by thousands of players in the past and have done very well. Compton’s comments come as Cook was reportedly warned by England’s Managing Director Andrew Strauss - his former opening partner - that he risked being suspended if he continued to wear a helmet that didn’t meet the new standards. A report in The Times said Cook could face a disciplinary committee if he continued to wear a non-sanctioned helmet, as he did in county cricket last week. All eyes will be on the helmet Cook wears when he captains Essex in their county clash against Sussex, starting this weekend. Last October, Australia batsman Shaun Marsh was reprimanded for failing to comply with the updated regulations during a Matador BBQs One-Day Cup match. The findings from a coroner’s inquest into Hughes’s death are yet to be released. Alastair Cook Blatter regrets ‘not reforming’ FIFA Basel, Apr 16: Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter acknowledged on Friday that he failed to reform the scandal-ridden world soccer organisation but asserted he was not responsible for corruption in its regional organisations. Blatter spoke to more than 400 people at the University of Basel, where a student group has been preparing proposals on how FIFA should address the scandal. The disgraced FIFA head appeared at the event with Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former International Criminal Court prosecutor who accused the 80-year-old Swiss citizen of turning a blind eye to corruption within regional soccer organisations. Dozens of officials, including former members of FIFA’s executive committee, have been indicted in the ‘You look at the Phil Hughes incident. It was well publicised that he was one of my best friends and I’m always thinking of him’ in their first leg. Bayern manager Pep Guardiola misses what would have been a difficult semi-final for him against City, the Premier League side he will take charge of next season. City will host Real on 26 April and Atletico face Bayern the following evening.Real, record 10-times champions, are unbeaten in their last eight games against English clubs. Their Kings XI Punjab batsman Glenn Maxwell was reprimanded by match referee Roshan Mahanama for showing dissent at an umpiring decision during his team’s crushing eightwicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match yesterday. Maxwell had a particularly poor match as he was out without scoring and gave away 11 runs in the only over that he bowled. He just missed the ball. It was a Catch-22 situation.’ Miller said he would look to stick to what worked for them in the past and hoped that they will back to winning It ways soon. ‘It doesn’t change. I thought was a lowto go with the same mindset, scoring game but I same process, stick with the things that I did in the past. think we lost too many I have been hitting the ball wickets in different stages nicely and as a batsman, I which changed the momentum believe we need to stick to what worked in the past.’ of the match. I think the Miller again rued his team’s batting collapse but is hopeful wicket was right’ of a quick turnaround in their - Miller next match on Sunday. ‘Obviously, not enough runs, we have to look at the positives. We he though he have a long tournament and hoping needed to take him on at that stage. for a quick turnaround on Sunday. Bengaluru set to host IPL 2016 final New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI): Its schedule thrown haywire after the Bombay High Court ordered the shifting of 13 IPL matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra, the cashrich league picked Bengaluru as the venue for its finale and offered four alternate home options to the State’s affected franchises. In a meeting between IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and representatives of the Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians, it was decided to allot IPL’s final and the first Qualifier to Bengaluru. The second Qualifier and the Eliminator, on the other hand, have been proposed to be moved to Kolkata to implement the Bombay High Court’s order that asked the BCCI to shift all the IPL matches after 30 April from Maharashtra due to the acute water crisis in the State. In yesterday’s meeting, the two affected franchises were asked to pick from Raipur, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Kanpur as their alternate home base. While Pune opted for Visakhapat- nam, Mumbai Indians sought two days’ time to choose their new base. ‘We will propose before the Governing Council that Final and Qualifier 1 be shifted to Bengaluru, while Qualifier 2 and Eliminator to Kolkata,’ Shukla told reporters after the meeting. ‘After speaking to the franchises, we have given them four options: Raipur, Jaipur, Kanpur and Visakhapatnam. Mumbai Indians have asked for time (to give their preference),’ he added. ‘Pune has given Visakhapatnam as its preference. We will put the proposal of Pune team before the Governing Council.’ The logistical crisis was triggered despite the BCCI assurance to the High Court that IPL franchises of Mumbai and Pune had agreed to contribute Rs five crore each to CM’s drought relief fund. ‘As far as giving Rs 5 crore is concerned, it will be as per the directive of the High Court. They (the franchises) are supposed to get a written order on this,’ Shukla said. Monfils mows down Granollers Nadal juggernaut rolls on as Swiss challenge fizzles out United States and Blatter has been banned for six years by its ethics committee. ‘I regret I have not done enough to bring back FIFA on the right track,’ Blatter told the meeting. But he insisted that while he led FIFA, the actions of leaders of regional soccer organisations did not fall under his purview. Monaco, Apr 16: A ninth Monte Carlo Masters title is getting closer for Rafael Nadal with most of his rivals out of the way - including Roger Federer, who again misses out on one of the few trophies not already in his glittering collection. Frenchm a n Gael All-Madrid finale still a chance Paris, Apr 16: A repeat of the 2014 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid is still possible after Friday’s semi-final draw. Real, who won that game 4-1 after extra-time, will play first-time semifinalists Manchester City, with the first leg in north-west England. Atletico, who beat holders Barcelona in the last eight, host Bayern Munich Maxwell pulled up for showing dissent semifinal here against Andy Murray. Federer lost 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, despite bei n g Semifinal line-up Real Madrid vs Manchester City (26 April, 1st leg) Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich (27 April, 1st leg) only previous game against City came in 2012 when the Spanish side won 3-2 at home before drawing 1-1 in Manchester. Monfils, seeded 13th, stormed into the semis with a facile 6-2, 6-4 win over Spaniard Marcel Granollers on a d a y when Nadal defeated Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset Federer. But Federer - a four-time runner-up on the French Riviera - was not too disappointed, considering that his priority was to come back safely after more than two months out following knee surgery. N a d a l beat Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to s e t up a third Monte Carlo two points from victory when 5-4 up in the decider with Tsonga 15-30 down on his serve This was Federer’s first tournament play since arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for torn cartilage on 3 February, and defeat was softened by relief at avoiding any relapse. ‘It was good to play back-to-back, yesterday and today, good to play 2 hours 10 (minutes) today,’ Federer said. ‘It was nice to play an intense match. I’m happy how the body reacted.’ With top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Wawrinka - the French Open champion - also out, Federer himself picked Nadal when asked about the favourite. ‘He is still a major player on clay,’ Federer said of Nadal, whose last title here came in 2012. The statistics agree with Federer. Nadal leads Murray 16-6 in career meetings and 6-1 on clay. For the other two semifinalists, Nadal is 11-2 up on Gael Monfils - 4-0 on clay - and 8-4 on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, having beaten him here in the semifinals three years ago. Nadal went on to lose the 2013 final to Djokovic, who was stunned in the second round this year by Czech Jiri Vesely, an unheralded Czech player ranked 55th. Mixed Bag CHENNAI Dilip Kumar hospitalised Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI): Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who has been admitted to the Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra for respiratory problems early today, is under observation with doctors attending on him stating that the next 72 hours are crucial. ‘The next 72 hours are crucial. He is under observation. We are keeping a close watch. He might have to be shifted to the ICU,’ Dr Jalil Parker of Lilavati Hospital told PTI. The 93-year-old cinema legend was hospitalised around 2 am, sources said. Asked to comment on Kumar’s present condition, Parker said, ‘It takes time for a patient to respond to the treatment in the same way as it takes three hours for the food to digest.’ However, family sources maintained that there is nothing to worry. ‘He is normal. He is fine. There is nothing like that,’ they said, when asked whether Kumar was in a serious condition. Earlier, Parker said that Kumar had fever and had vomited a few times. ‘He was suffering from pneumonia as well. His white blood cells had shot up. We thought it would be better to admit him to hospital.’ Minister’s son booked for rash driving Hyderabad, Apr 16 (PTI): Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary’s son Karthik has been booked for rash driving by Hyderabad Traffic Police which also seized his Porsche car. During a special road safety drive conducted last night by traffic cops, Karthik was found driving the vehicle allegedly in a ‘rash’ manner between Jubilee Hills Check Post and KBR Park gate here, Banjara Hills Traffic Police Station Inspector N Vidya Sagar told PTI. ‘We caught him along with some other (motorists) during the special drive for different violations,’ the Inspector said, adding a case was booked on charge of rash driving against Karthik under section 184 (B) of MV Act and the Porsche car was seized. Summer holidays for students from 1 May NT Bureau Chennai Apr 16: Tamilnadu School Education Department has announced that summer holidays for students will commence from 1 May. Schools will reopen on 1 June. According to a release, the exams for Municipal and primary schools will conclude on 30 April and for sixth and eighth standards by 21 April. The board exams for Tenth and Plus Two ended recently. SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 No climate of intolerance in India, says Jaitley q ‘They are rare in a large country’ ‘It is a creation made by media’ Washington, Apr 16 (PTI): There could be ‘stray’ incidents of people on either side of the political spectrum making irresponsible statements but this could not be generalised as prevalence of a climate of intolerance in the country, Union Minister Arun Jaitley has said. Dubbing such incidents as ‘terrible’, the senior BJP leader, however, said that they are ‘rare’ in a large country like India. ‘There could be stray incidents of irresponsible statements by individuals on either side of the political spectrum, that does not mean that zamin per koi iss tarah ki activity hai (intolerance exists),’ Jaitley said during a media roundtable with Indian reporters here. ‘These are bad incidents. These are terrible incidents, but these are extremely rare in a large country. Historically stray incidents have taken place,’ he said when his attention was drawn towards some of the specific such incidents. Responding to a question on alleged prevalence of intolerance in the country, Jaitley described this as a creation of ‘Mallya’s biz model could be at fault’ Questioning the ‘business model’ of long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines for Vijay Mallya’s mounting woes, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the airline sector as such is doing well in India with many carriers making good profits. Mallya, the owner of Kingfisher Airlines and many other companies that owe over Rs 9,000 crore of dues to lenders, is currently in London, defying Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons. ‘I am not giving a final opinion on it. It could be attributed to the business model of a particular company,’ Jaitley yesterday said here in response to a question on Mallya, on which he refused to be directly dragged into. ‘As far as the recoveries are concerned, in this (Mallya) case, banks are taking all possible steps. And whether there have been violations of some penal provisions, the investigating agencies are looking at it,’ he said. media. ‘On the ground, my own understanding of the subject is, are there a lot of things happening that show this (intolerance)? The answer is no’. ‘There could be in a large country like India some incident or the other, which takes place one time, which could be considered highly improper and condemnable,’ he said. When asked if there is any introspection within the party, he said: ‘Actually neither in the party agenda nor on the ground there is any such activity wherein in a large country like India it (incidents of intolerance) is happening state after state.’ ‘A news channel can show same four people giving irresponsible statements and build a story around it. That seems to be more of what is happening. What gets projected is in a large body of politics there would always be three or four people who would react aggressively and disproportionally to events,’ he observed. ‘So loose comments, loose state- Theri: Theatre owners blame Dhanu NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: The war of words between theatre owners and producer of Theri Kalaipuli S Thanu escalated over the non-screening of the Vijay-starrer in several cinema halls in Chengalpet. Several screens in Chengalpet area did not release Theri on Tamil New Year day. This resulted in Tamil Film Producers’ Council deciding not to screen any upcoming big films in Chengalpet theaters, which refused to screen Theri. The theatre-owners were apparently told that biggies like 24 and S3 starring Suriya and Rajinikanth’s Kabali will not be given to them. In retaliation, the honchos of Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association Bomb threat to bank on Mount Road NT Bureau Chennai, Apr 16: In yet another incident of its kind, the city police was kept on its toes by a hoax caller who issued a bomb threat at a commercial complex on Thousand Lights. According to the police, yesterday at around 11.50 pm, the police control room received a call that a bomb would go off at a three storey commercial building which houses a private bank. ‘Indian economy is like one-eyed man’ q We have still to get to a place where we feel satisfied: RBI Guv Washington, Apr 16 (PTI): Ministers and Central Bank Governors. With India being often described as ‘We feel things are turning to the point ‘the bright spot in the global economy’, where we could achieve what we believe is our medium-run growth poReserve Bank Governor Raghuram tential. Because things are falling into Rajan sees this as a case of ‘the place. Investment is starting to pick one-eyed man’ being king in the land up strongly. We have a fair degree of of the blind. macro-stability. Of course, Amid gloomy global not immune to every shock, economic conditions, Inbut immune to a fair number dian economy has been of shocks,’ Rajan said in an described by many as interview to MarketWatch. one of the few bright MarketWatch is published spots, including by IMF, by Dow Jones & Co and is while RBI under Rajan part of The Wall Street Dighas also been credited ital Network. Rajan, known with necessary steps to have frank views on state to minimise the impact of affairs in the Indian and of external shocks on global economy, said ‘a Raghuram Rajan the country’s financial bunch of good things system. have happened’ in India, but there ‘I think we have still to get to a place were ‘still some things to do’. where we feel satisfied. We have this saying -- ‘In the land of the blind, the He listed out achievements on one-eyed man is king’. We are a little fronts like current account and fiscal bit that way,’ Rajan said when asked for deficit and said inflation has come his take on the ‘bright spot’ theory and down from 11 per cent to below 5 per what was his ‘secret sauce’ to ensure cent, making room for interest rates this positioning. to come down. Rajan, a former chief economist of ‘Of course, structural reforms are the International Monetary Fund and ongoing. The government is engaged in bringing out a new bankruptcy an on-leave professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of code. There is Goods and Services Business, was here for Spring Meet- Tax on the anvil. But there is a lot of ings of the World Bank and the IMF, exciting stuff which is already hapas also for the G20 Meeting of Finance pening,’ he said. The control room relayed the information to the city police who combed the building, and later established that the call was a hoax. The police subsequently traced the call to one Velpari (43) of Guduvancheri, who was found absconding. The police said, in 2014, Velpari had made a similar hoax call to the police and was arrested. A case has been registered, with a team of police launching a search for him. blamed Thanu for the fiasco. They said, ‘We were screening films based on percentage basis. Unfortunately, Thanu insisted that we pay a minimum guarantee amount for releasing Theri. It would mean every theatre owner spends not less than Rs one crore, which we feel would burn a hole in our pockets’. ‘When theatres in Chennai were allowed to release on percentage basis, why we should be asked to tread a different path’, they asked. ‘Our executive committee would meet soon in Chennai and take a final decision on TFPC’s announcement that big films would not be given to us for release’, they added. Driver killed in road mishap Salem, Apr 16 (PTI): A State government bus driver on his way to buy pooja articles for devotees going to Sabarimala died when his motoribike hit a tree at Valpadi today, police said. The 35-year-old man was proceeding to a shop to buy the articles when he lost control of the two wheeler at a turn and was killed, they said. He is survived by his wife and two children. ments, improper statements, when the television camera confronts you, you say what you should not say, aise char, panch, chhe log hai (there are four, five, six such people), usko aap environment of intolerance kah do? (and you describe them as an environment of intolerance)?’ the Minister asked. The Finance Minister is currently on a week-long tour of the US primarily to attend the annual Spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. 7 Sushma to raise Masood issue with China Mumbai, Apr 16: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who will leave today to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral in Moscow, will raise the proscription of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar with her Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the meeting. ‘I am going to Moscow. The final investigation report into fire tragedy in which we lost Pooja Kallur and Krishma Bhonsle is on my agenda,’ Sushma tweeted. She added that she will also be taking up the matter of Yasir, an Indian national from Srinagar who was killed in Kazan in Russia. After the attack on the Pathankot airbase in January, India in February had written to the UN calling for immediate action to list Masood Azhar under the UN Sanctions Committee. All were told that if there are no objections were raised, the designation will be announced after the expiry of the deadline, but just hours before the deadline, China requested the UN. committee to keep on hold the designation. China said, that any listing would have to meet the requirements, stressing that it was the Council members’ responsibility to ensure that the criteria were followed. India close to buying 36 Rafale fighter jets q Rs 60,000 cr deal with France in final stage New Delhi, Apr 16: The negotiations over the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets have entered the ‘final stages’ as both India and France have managed to narrow down their differences over the pricing. Government sources said that the deal has not been concluded yet but it is in ‘final stages’. Euros for smaller Indian companies The development came nearly four and creating thousands of new jobs months after Prime Minister Narendra in India through the offsets. Modi and French President Francois In fact, the toughest phase in the Hollande signed a memorandum of negotiations that began in July 2015 agreement (MoU) to purchase 36 - three months after Modi announced Rafale combat jets. in Paris India’s plan to purchase 36 The Indian side has been negotiat- Rafale jets - was to get the French ing hard to bring down the price of the to agree to 50 per cent offsets in Rafale deal. the deal. Sources said the price for 36 RaInitially, Dassault Aviation was fales, as per the UPA tender, keeping willing to agree to reinvest only 30 per cent of the value of its contract the cost escalation and dollar rate in in Indian entities to meet the offset mind, comes to a little over Rs 65,000 obligations. crore. This includes the cost involved The French side finally agreed to inin making changes India has sought vest 50 per cent of the value following in the aircraft, including Israeli helmet a phone conversation between Modi mounted display and some specific and Hollande late last year. weaponry, among others. The commercial negotiations, as in ‘The effort is to bring down the price the pricing of the planes, equipment to less than Euros 8 billion (Rs 59,000 and other issues, actually began only crore),’ the sources said. in mid-January this year. Sources said the French have more Under the proposed deal, French or less agreed to Indian terms. companies apart from Dassault AviaThe expectation is that the final deal tion, will provide several aeronautics, will be clinched by May-end. electronics and micro-electronics The deal comes with the clause of delivering 50 per cent offsets, creat- technologies to comply with the offset obligation. ing business worth at least 3 billion Upbeat Daredevils runs into top-heavy RCB Bengaluru, Apr 16 (PTI): Riding high after an emphatic victory against Kings XI Punjab, a rejuvenated Delhi Daredevils will aim to pose a serious challenge to a formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two teams square off in an IPL encounter, here tomorrow. After being battered in the first game, Daredevils have come back strongly with an eight-wicket win over KXIP but they will now be facing RCB, who have also notched up a comprehensive 45-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening game. On paper, RCB is a far better side with the most prolific batting lineup IPL that boasts of skipper Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson. Not to forget the presence of young talent Sarfaraz Khan and domestic heavyweight Kedar Jadhav. But Delhi has experience in their bowling ranks with Zaheer Khan leading the pack showing what is still left in his armoury. Currently India’s best leg-spinner Amit Mishra has time and again risen upto the occasion as he did against RCB will look to Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to continue smashing runs in the games to come. KXIP with figures of 4 for 11. a challenge for Mishra and Zaheer to stop the duo from sending them Together, they would like to stop on a leatherhunt. the RCB from going all-out on a ground, whose boundaries are too But it is the Delhi batting that will short for comfort. be put to test as they floundered in the first match getting all-out for de Villiers (82) and Kohli (75) 98 and then went untested in the added a whopping 157 runs in their second game as the target was a win against Sunrisers and it will be meagre 112. Looking for an elusive title, RCB will like to come out all guns blazing. For academic interest, RCB are placed second in the league table with two points from a game whereas Delhi have identical points having played a game more. With the league just starting off, the table is of little or no consequence. Watson, who proved his worth by producing an all-round show against Hyderabad by picking up two wickets and making a quickfire 19 off 8 balls alongside Sarfaraz Khan, will hope to repeat the exploits. Sarfaraz impressed one and all for his 10-ball 35 will face the guiles of Mishra and experience of Zaheer. Bangalore also will be keen on hearing the progress of West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree, who is yet to recover from a shoulder injury suffered during the World T20. In Badree’s absence, Yuzuvendra Chahal led the spin attack, and would like to repeat his feat of bagging two wickets in the previous match in the company of Parvez Rasool, who claimed the prized wicket of Shikhar Dhawan. 8 SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2016 , CHENNAI Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP. No. TN / PMG / (CCR) / WPP-470 / 15-17 Movie on perils of social media T J One more from ARM’s hut oining the long list of filmmaker A R Murugadoss’ assistants making it as director is Vijay Balaji. He is coming out with a movie titled Vidhi Madhi Ulta. The movie produced by Right Media Works stars Rameez Raja of Darling 2 in the lead role. Janani Iyer is the heroine. The cast also includes Daniel Balaji and Karunakaran. The movie has music by Aswin and camera by Martin Jo. Speaking about the film, the director, says, ‘It is a battle between fate and common sense. What when things go topsy turvy in a man’s life forms the crux. A major portion of the movie was shot in Pudhucherry and Pollachi. Rameez Raja is tailor-made for the role and plans are on to release Vidhi Madhi Ulta soon, says Vijay Balaji. – NT Bureau hough technological advancements have shrunk the world, yet many individuals find themselves in a spot of bother. My forthcoming movie Inaya Thalamurai is about how social media networks like Facebook and Twitter put a few in trouble, says filmmaker Ilanthirumaran. Produced, written and directed by him, Inaya Thalamurai features Ashwin Kumar and Manishajith in lead roles. Ravi, Sathyan, Sanjay, Sarath, Thennavan among others are also in the cast. Music is by J Gopinath and cinematography by Aaro. Lyrics are by Ilaya Kamban and Ilanthirumaran. A major portion of the movie has been shot in Sri Villiputhur and Rajapalayam. – NT Bureau Innocent to act in Tamil film I Filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj, actors Vijay Sethupathi, S J Suryah, Bobby Simha, producer C V Kumar among others at the audio launch of Iraivi in Chennai. raivi songs are special and different. Music composer Santhosh Narayanan has done a wonderful job, says director Karthik Subbaraj. The movie is produced by C V Kumar and stars Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, S J Suryah, Anjali, Kamalini Mukherjee, Pooja Devaria, Karunakaran, Cheenu Mohan, Radha Ravi and Vadivukarasi in key roles. Cinematography is by Sivakumar Vijayan and editing by Vivek Harshan. This is Karthik Subbaraj’s third directorial venture after Pizza and Jigarthanda. Iraivi is likely to be release in May. Speaking at the audio launch, S J Suryah, said, ‘This is a dream come true movie for me and I thank Karthik Subbaraj for the opportunity’. Producer C V Kumar & Karthik Subbaraj have opened the gates for of young and energetic movie-lovers, he added. VIjay Sethupathi, said, ‘ After watching the movie, everyone will realise the importance of women in society. And Iraivi will be a movie to reckon with in my career’. Anjali and Pooja Devaria were also present on the occasion. NT Bureau Santhosh Narayanan is special: Karthik Subbaraj Tomorrow’s matches: Kings XI Punjab vs Supergiants at Mohali, 4 p.m Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions at Mumbai, 8 p.m Hyderabad: Seeking to shrug off the defeat in their IPL campaign opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to put their best foot forward in tonight’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders, coach Tom Moody said. He also brushed aside the injuryenforced absence of veteran pacer Ashish Nehra and said there were adequate replacements in the form of Barinder Sran and Abhimanyu Mithun ‘Even though, we lost the first game, we are going to this with lots of confidence. (There are) lots of things we can take away from that game in Bangalore. It gave us lot of confidence with the bat and ball,’ Moody said at the pre-match press conference at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday. The Sunrisers lost by 45 runs to RCB in Bengaluru earlier this week. Noting that KKR are a strong side, ‘Unfair to judge team on basis of one match’ Hyderabad: Kolkata Knights Riders captain Gautam Gambhir expressed confidence that his side can put up an impressive performance in their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, notwithstanding their loss to Mumbai Indians earlier. ‘One game ... you cannot judge a team just by one game. I think we were very convincing in the first game. Obviously, we could not defend 187. Sometimes, you need to give opposition credit as well. Mumbai played really smart cricket. They chased the target very well,’ Moody said the Sunrisers would like to come up with a competitive performance tomorrow. ‘KKR are a strong team. They have shown it over time. So, it is going to be a tough contest. I think every side in the competition is pretty well balanced. There is no so called easy game. We certainly have to play our best cricket to score winning points tomorrow,’ he said. Though Sunrisers’ seasoned bowler Ashish Nehra is injured, the team has back up replacement options in Barinder Sran and Abhimanyu Mithun, he said. ‘Obviously, with Ashish Nehra injured, a bowler of that quality, it is going to have an impact on any side. We are conscious to make sure we have strong support behind our bowling. With Sran and Mithun we got capable and talented backup pace bowlers. So we are confident we have potential replacement,’ Moody said. The team does possess ‘depth and quality’ in batting, though the experienced Yuvraj Singh is injured for now, said the Australian. No Nehra, no problem, says Moody SRH coach expects Mithun, Sran to step up Filmmaker L G Ravichandran, who made films like Masani and Aindham Thalaimurai Vaidhaya Sigamani is ready with his next. Titled Nan Avalai Sandhithapodhu stars Santhosh Prathap and Chandni in lead roles. Santosh Prathap shot to fame playing the lead in Kadhai Thirai Kadhai Vasanam Iyakkam. Popular Malayalam actor Innocent plays comedian in the movie. The cast also includes G M Kumar, Imman Annachi, Chaams, Bharath Kalyan among others. Cinematography is by R S Selva and music by Hithesh Selvah. The movie is produced by V T Ritheesh Kumar, was shot in Tenkasi, Coutrallam, Papanasam among other areas. Says the director, ‘the movie is based on real life incident that took place in Tamilnadu in 1996’. – NT Bureau Actor Innocent 9 Gambhir told reporters at the press conference on the eve of the match against Sunrisers. ‘I think they were very measured in their approach. They did not go really hard throughout the 20 overs. Rohit Sharma anchored the innings. You got to give credit to the opposition as well,’ he said. KKR pulled off a superb win against Delhi Daredevils, but lost badly to MI. ‘As I said, we are a quality side. We got a quality bowling attack. If we can put that kind of runs on the board, most of the time, we will end up defending it. Parthiv hails Ponting’s coaching methods ‘We aren’t too worried about off-field matters’ Mumbai: Defending IPL champions Mumbai Indians have been hit hard by the Bombay High Court decision to shift all their home games out of the Wankhede Stadium, but the side were focused only on the game, according to wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel. He also praised former Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s coaching method and said his calm demeanour had a great influence on the team and its fortunes. ‘It’s something not in our control. I don’t think we can think about them. There are still four (actually three) games here. We would rather put our energy into it,’ said Patel at the press conference on Friday ahead of tonight’s game here against table toppers Gujarat Lions. ‘We have played two games and that includes away games as well (against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata). As players we have been taught not to focus on external things and (instead) focus on the game. Home and away game don’t matter. As a sportsman you always want challenges and MI is a team which can play anywhere,’ he said. ‘It’s just start of tournament and we are getting some momentum. I don’t think it makes any sense in shifting our focus nto something into which is not in our control. We would rather focus on playing cricket rather than other things,’ he added. The two affected franchises -- MI and Rising Pune Super- giants -- were asked by the IPL to pick from Raipur, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Kanpur as their alternate home base. While Pune opted for Visakhapatnam, Mumbai Indians sought two days’ time (till 17 April) to choose their new base. Patel said though the team will miss West Indian batsman Lendl Simmons, ruled out of the tournament because of a lower back injury, it has given him an opportunity to bat with h i s in-form ca captain Rohit Sharma. h been a brilliant player ‘Lendl has for us and has scored a lot of runs over the last two years. We had ope good opening partnerships last year. Now it gives me an opportunity to pla play with Rohit. He’s in great form and makes batting look easy and that g gives me confidence at the other end as well.’ Meanwh Meanwhile, Simmons’ replacement, New Zealander Martin Guptill, reach here and he did prachas reached F tice on Friday with the squad but is unlikely to make it to the playing eleve eleven tomorrow. Ahmedabad-born Patel, wh who made 23 in the previou ous game against Kolkata, b backed the team thinkt tank’s move to promote all-rounder Hardik Pandya to bat at number three followed by Mitchell McClenaghan. ‘ ‘He’s (Pandya) a quality player He got lot of runs in the player. Mus Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy here batting at number three. Him batting at number numbe three gives a very good balance. IIt gives (Ambati) Rayudu, P (Kieron) Pollard and (Jos) Buttler pla to bat on,’ said Patel. a nice place Published by K. Balakumar on behalf of News Today Media (P) Ltd., from 85, Mount Road (GST Road), Guindy, Chennai 600 032 and printed by him at Frontline Printers Private Ltd., M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600 032. Ph: 4202 1111. Editor: K. Balakumar. Phone: Editorial / Admn / Advt / Circulation 2250 4000, Fax: 2250 0303 (Editorial) / 2250 0101 / 2250 1200 (Advt/Admn/Cir). E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.newstodaynet.com